Shack/Slum Dwellers International (SDI) South African Alliance: Founded in 1991, the South African Alliance developed initiatives by and for the poor. It aims to build strong communities capable of making cities more inclusive and pro-poor. The Alliance uses SDI’s core “rituals” which include savings, mobilization, enumeration, planning, exchanges, and implementation. The Alliance counts with the partnership of the Community Organisation Resource Centre (CORC), the Informal Settlement Network (ISN), Federation of the Urban and Rural Poor (FEDUP), and the uTshani Fund.For more information click here

 Community Organisation Resource Centre (CORC): CORC began in 2002 and focuses on the specific issues of, “land evictions, informal settlement upgrading, basic services, and citizenship” (SDI, 2015). Its mission is to strengthen and support communities who are willing to improve themselves and their communities. They aim to allow communities to share experiences and learn together in order to create unity and be seen as a more legitimate group to the state and other outside organizations. CORC works alongside Coalition of the Urban Poor (UCUP), Alliance of Rural Communities (ARC), the Informal Settlement Network (ISN) and SDI with the goal of, “setting the precedents that transform the way all stakeholders think and act in response to the urbanisation of poverty” (SDI, 2015).

 For more information click here

Moegsien Hendricks

Moegsien is CORC’s urban planner, where he works as project manager for upgrading informal settlements. He is currently working on nine different projects. He also manages the partnership agreement with the City of Cape Town.

Thandeka Tshabalala

Thandeka has been a CORC town planner since 2013 and has worked as a technical team coordinator to develop plans both for and alongside communities. She works closely with ISN as well as FEDUP, an organization part of the SASDI Alliance which pioneers collaborative solutions that empowers poor people to help, teach, and develop themselves. She views CORC as an organization designed to bring communities together, identify their needs, and help communities themselves come up with plans to meet those needs.

 Sizwe Mxobo

Sizwe works as one of CORC’s urban planners. He has worked with WPI teams for the past few years. Growing up in an informal settlement, the work he does with CORC is very close to his heart. He stresses the importance of community involvement in projects for them to be sustainable.

Thembi Ngchka

Thembi works as one of CORC’s architects. She worked with our team during our weeks in Cape Town and helped us with the design of the K2 community hall.

Simbonge Mqini (Sim)

Sim is a representative from CORC who worked closely with the WPI team to carry out the project. She helped to translate between WPI and K2 community members.